Aladdin' offers holiday magic at People's Light

Aladdin’s hilarious adventure begins when the young man and his animal friends discover a mysterious lamp.

The classical fairy-tale heroes go on to rescue Princess Mai Tai, fly a magic carpet and join forces with beloved Dame Widow Twankey to save their village of Paolistein.

“Aladdin: A Musical Panto” at People’s Light & Theatre Company in Malvern, is more than just a musical version of a fairy tale.

The panto is an ancient tradition that comes to us by way of England, where almost every town has a panto during the holiday season.

Pantos are a mix between a fractured fairy tale and a variety show, using familiar stories to form the basis for exaggeration, outrageous jokes, and rollicking songs and dances.

They incorporate specific elements, including “the dame” (a man dressed as a woman), audience participation (mainly cheering the heroes and booing the villains), a “messy bit,” candy passed out to the audience, and a “silly song” that inspires an audience sing-along.

Now in its ninth year, the holiday panto has become a tradition at People’s Light and “Aladdin” runs through Jan. 6, 2013.

A panto at People’s Light follows along the lines of the long-standing British panto form, which in turn derives from the Italian commedia dell’arte tradition, Twelfth Night and Festival of Fools celebrations and British music hall entertainments.

When the modern panto became an established genre in the 18th century and writers turned to well-known fairy tales and other favorite children’s stories to provide the starting points for performances, “Aladdin” was one of the first stories adapted for a panto performance.

It remains an audience favorite today.

Larry Grant Malvern, plays one of the most recognizable characters in Aladdin — the genie.

“For the past several years, doing a panto is the latest incarnation of holiday entertainment fare,” Malvern says.

“There was a time when ‘(A) Christmas Carol’ occupied that slot or (it was) other family entertainment options.

“‘Peter Pan,’ my first role with PLT in 1993, played the holiday slot. Panto is great family entertainment. It just makes sense for adults to bundle up their little ones to come enjoy family fun at this time of the year.”

People’s Light’s world premiere production of “Aladdin” reunites artists from past People’s Light panto productions and introduces some panto newcomers.

Pete Pryor and Samantha Bellomo return to direct and choreograph their fifth panto, but for the first time are the co-writers.

“It has been a privilege and an honor to work on our annual holiday family celebration,” Pryor says. “With all of our past success and the strong foundation set in place by Kathryn Petersen and the invention by this year’s talented cast, we hope to continue the laughter.”

Pryor runs through the list of people involved: “Composer and lyricist Michael Ogborn has been part of our creative team since 2007. Mark Lazar returns as the Dame, along with other panto veterans Justin Jain (Aladdin), Susan McKey (The Nurse), Kim Carson (The Sultan), and Andrew Kane (Morris the Mantis). Larry Grant Malvern (The Genie of the Lamp) is starring in his first panto after working onstage and as a teaching artist with the company since 1993.

Highlights from Malvern’s career include “Peter Pan,” “The Perfect Ganesh,” “Standing Alone” and “In the Blood.”

Conrad Sager also joins the panto company for the first time after his acclaimed performance as Charles Wallace in People’s Light’s 2011 production of “A Wrinkle in Time.”

Mal Whyte (“Genius of the Ring”) is an experienced panto performer from productions throughout the United Kingdom, but this is his first time at People’s Light.

Malvern explained that the British panto format is even sillier than it sounds: “In general, expect to laugh at whatever strikes your funny bone. There are enough outrageous, outlandish, and blatantly ridiculous antics propelling these often over-the-top characters into one’s heart that it is quite possible to find oneself laughing out loud unexpectedly.”